Fish-stringer clamp



Dec. 10, 1957 T. J. ROBBINS 2,315,555

FISH-STRINGER CLAMP Filed May 13. 1955 JNVENTOR. THUMBS J'- ROBE/MS United States Patent FISH-STRINGER CLAMP Thomas J. Robbins, Lakewood, Ohio Application May 13, 1955, Serial No. 508,085

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-248) This invention relates in general to fish-stringer clamps of the type used to secure fish-stringers to gunwales of boats or other supporting bases to permit safe handling of the fish-stringers hanging over the sides of a boat to hold and trail caught fish in the water.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide an improved fish-stringer clamp constructed to be conveniently fastened to all types of boats, docks, seats, etc., which fish-stringer clamp includes means for supporting fishstringers not in use and rubber-coated clamping jaws for protecting finished surfaces to which the clamp is secured, and which provides simple and eflicient means for carrying and handling fish-stringers when loaded.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fish-stringer clamp of the type described above which includes two symmetrically arranged hinge members of substantially half-circular shape having their one opposing ends hinged to each other and pivotally supporting at their other opposing ends rubber-coated clamping jaws for proper clamping engagement of the fish-stringer clamp with differently sized gunwales and supporting bases.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a fish-stringer clamp of the type described in which the symmetrically arranged half-circular hinge members are arranged to be pivoted toward each other by bolt means cooperating with U-shaped brackets having their flanged portions pivotally secured to such hinge members in areas near their hinge connection.

In addition, the invention has certain other marked superiorities which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These improvements or superior characteristics embodying certain novel features of construction are clearly set forth in the following specification and the appended claims describing and showing in detail in the accompanying drawing an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fish-stringer clamp constructed in accordance with the invention, the fish-stringer clamp being shown attached to the gunwale of a boat.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fish-stringer clamp used to properly carry its loaded fish-stringer.

Figs. 3 through are left-side, front and right-side views of the fish-stringer clamp shown in Figs. 1 and 2; thus Fig. 3 is a left side View,

Fig. 4 a front view, partly in section, and

Fig. 5 a right side view of the fish-stringer clamp.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the fish-stringer clamp, and

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the fish-stringer clamp.

Fig. 8 is a front view of a substantially fully opened-up fish-stringer clamp.

Referring now in detail to the exemplified form of the invention shown in the drawing, fish-stringer clamp 2 cmbodies two substantially symmetrically constructed halfcircular hinge members 3 and 4 hinged to each other at their one ends 5 and 6 by short upset pins 7.

Hinge member 3 includes two parallelly arranged curved metal strips 8 and 9 coupled with each other by a U-shaped bolt supporting bracket 10 and a clamping shoe 11. The bolt supporting bracket 10 is extended between the two curved metal strips 8 and 9 and secured thereto by a pivot 2,815,555 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 pin 12 attached to said metal strips and freely extended through aligned openings 14 in flanges 15 and 16 of bracket 10. The clamping shoe 11 is formed by a rubbercovered elongated box-like structure 17 having extended thereinto end portions 18 of strips 8 and 9 and is pivotally secured to end portions 18 by an upset pin 19 extended through the short end walls 20 of box-like structure 17. Pin 19 passes through a tubular spacing member 21 spacing the perforated end portions 18 of strips 8 and 9 from each other. The strips 8 and 9 have their other end portions 22 and 23 laterally offset to extend between curved strips 24, 25 of hinge member 4 constructed similar to hinge member 3 and not described in detail. Curved strips 24, 25 are coupled with each other by a perforated U-shaped bracket 26 pivotally supported by said strips and has extended through its perforation 27 a bolt 28, the end 29 of which is mounted in U-shaped bracket 10. Bolt 28 supports on its threaded end 29 a wing nut 30 to efiect a clamping engagement of clamping shoe 11 with a supporting base such as the gunwale 31 of boat 32 (see Fig. 1).

In addition, fish-stringer clamp 2 includes a fish-stringer supporting pin 33 and a fish-stringer hook member 34. Supporting pin 33 is mounted on hinge member 4 and connects curved strips 24 and 25, and fish-stringer hook member 34 is supported by bolt 28 between its head portion 35 and the web portion 36 of U-shaped bracket 10.

Fish-stringer supporting pin 33 mounts a link 37 of the chain 38 of a chain-like fish-stringer to securely attach the chain of the fish-stringer to the fish-stringer clamp, and fish-stringer hook member 34 may be used to shorten the length of chain 38 by its hooking engagement with any one of the links of said fish-stringer chain as indicated in Fig. 1.

The thus constructed clamp can readily be opened to a width of five inches and be attached to gunwales of large boats, cruisers, etc., and in partly opened condition provides a handy grip to carry a fish-stringer.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is:

1. In a fish-stringer clamp symmetrically arranged curved clamping members, each embodying two halfcircularly shaped spaced metal strips, a U-shaped bracket arranged between each pair of metal strips and pivoted thereto and a U-shaped clamping jaw member pivotally attached to one end of each clamping member, said clamping members having the free ends of their metal strips individually pivotally connected to each other, and actuating means for pivoting the clamping members with respect to each other, said actuating means being coupled with the pivotally supported U-shaped brackets to extend the actuating means between the metal strips of the clamping members.

2. A fish-stringer clamp as described in claim 1, cmbodying as actuating means a headed bolt member extended through the web portions of the U-shaped brackets, one of the U-shaped brackets being pivoted to the metal strips of one of the clamping members by a pivot pin extended in front of the head of the bolt member to prevent dislodging thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 215,523 Judd May 20, 1879 720,256 Kleinschmidt Feb. 10, 1903 889,078 Wilson May 26, 1908 998,248 Jahn July 18, 1911 1,446,344 Graydon Feb. 20, 1923 1,520,543 Meachen Dec. 23, 1924 1,589,307 Svebilius June 15, 1926 2,039,620 Bear May 5, 1936 2,589,520 Wallenius Mar. 18, 1952 

